After 9/11, Chicago FBI tries to improve its image within Muslim community

September 9, 2011

Today, we’re looking at how 9/11 transformed Muslim-Americans around the country and in Chicago.

In a previous segment, we talked to a lawyer who defended the Global Relief Foundation, a local Islamic charity shuttered by the federal government shortly after the attacks. The group was never convicted of any wrongdoing. Incidents like this did nothing to endear the government to American Muslims. To build relationships and trust, the FBI office in Chicago has made a concerted effort to reach out to the local Muslim community.

For a progress report, WBEZ’s criminal justice reporter, Robert Wildeboer, sat down with Robert Grant, who heads the FBI’s Chicago field office. They began with the controversy surrounding the government’s decision to close two Islamic charities in Chicago.